There's a brand-new Volvo in the offing. The good folks at Teknikens Värld got their hands on a picture that wasn't supposed to leave Volvo's intranet, a photo depicting assembly plant workers celebrating the completion of the first validation prototype.
Codenamed V551, the model in question is dubbed ES90. Think of it as the zero-emission sibling of the internal combustion-engined S90, which comes with four-cylinder lumps exclusively. Being Volvo, the S90 further sports mild-hybrid assistance or a plug-in hybrid setup with 455 horsepower at its disposal.
According to the cited publication, the leaked photo was taken at the Cixi assembly plant in Hangzhou, Zhenjiang Province. Said factory is operated by the peeps at Geely, a Chinese behemoth that reimagined smart as an all-electric brand after forming a joint venture with Mercedes. The Chinese manufacturer also controls Polestar, Lotus, the London Electric Vehicle Company, Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Proton.
Teknikens Värld, the Swedish publication that came to prominence by flipping a Mercedes A-Class hatchback in the moose test back in 1997, has also learned that the ES90 shares the SPA2 platform of the EX90. The acronym in question stands for Scalable Product Architecture 2, with the first generation underpinning vehicles from the 60 and 90 series. Indeed, the SPA underpins both the S90 and XC90.
As per an internal memo that leaked online in early 2022, the newcomer is 499 centimeters long, making it 10 centimeters shorter than the extended-wheelbase version of the S90. In the United States of America, the S90 comes with the extended wheelbase by default. 4,990 millimeters converts to 196.45 inches, a footprint that puts the ES90 directly in the crosshairs of the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE.
Photo: Theottle on YouTube
The upcoming Audi A6 e-tron also deserves a shout-out, a completely new design underpinned by the Volkswagen Group's Premium Platform Electric. Developed by the Porsche and Audi divisions, the PPE also underpins the 2025 Porsche Macan EV. It's widely believed that the 718-replacing electric sports car will use a modified version of this architecture.
Turning our attention back to the ES90, the Swedes also understand that we're dealing with a 3,102-mm wheelbase, a width of 1,945 millimeters, and a height of 1,547 millimeters. Tipping the scales at circa 2,500 kilograms or 5,511 pounds in old money, the zero-emission sedan will come standard with a rear-mounted electric motor. The dual-motor setup is believed to weigh 2,600 kilograms or 5,732 pounds.
Part of the reason for this curb weight is the 111-kWh battery, which – as you might have guessed by now – mirrors the gross capacity of the battery in the EX90. The net rating is 107 kWh, and said high-voltage battery comprises lithium-ion cells from CATL. Similar to the EX90, the sedan-bodied alternative should be capable of DC charging at up to 250 kW.
Teknikens Värld reports a driving range of 600 kilometers or 373 miles for the rear-drive specification. That estimate is certainly going to be less impressive under the Environmental Protection Agency's test cycle. According to Volvo's American division, the EX90 crossover is good for approximately 300 miles (483 kilometers) on a full charge. With the ES90 being that more aerodynamic and lighter, one could look forward to 320 – 330 miles (515 – 531 kilometers) in the sedan. That being said, expect to learn more about the ES90 prior to series production kicking off at the Cixi plant sometime in May 2024.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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